Using rhymes to teach French Phonics!

Enseigner par la comptine! 

Using rhymes as a teaching tool in the French classroom!

Nous nous rappelons certainement des comptines apprises au primaire! Ceci est parce que la comptine s'ancre facilement dans notre mémoire, grâce à sa sonorité.

Super pour développer la mémoire, le vocabulaire, les structures de phrases et la conscience phonologique. Lorsque l'enfant apprend à reconnaître des mots qui riment, ceci l'aide beaucoup à apprendre les sons, ce qui aide énormément avec la lecture et l'écriture!

For years, I used "comptines" in my classroom. I am a super high energy teacher who thrives on student participation so I just loved the chanting! I loved the fact that by the fall, my students already knew several rhymes so when I wanted their attention, I chanted or sang the first line and within seconds, I had the whole class chanting with me. At the end of the "chanting" I had their attention!! I could then give instructions, start a new activity, etc.

However, I found that some of the "comptines"/poems I found had difficult words or sentence structures. I was teaching in a French second language classroom. After all, I wanted to teach sight words and basic sentence structure. I did not want students to chant something they did not understand! I did not want them to chant or read words that they would never use again in their daily writing and reading.

SO, a few summers ago, I was helping my daughter get ready for her first job (grade one teacher!). She knew the passion I had for "comptines in the classroom". Together, we started creating our own comptines, each one with a common sound, each one loaded with sight words and basic structures that students UNDERSTOOD with words that they would be expected to use DAILY while reading and writing.

 Oh...and why not create tons of activities where students would REUSE and REUSE and REUSE these sight words and this common sound so that it would become part of the baggage they would carry with them forever!

And this is how and why I started creating these COMPTINES! Check out some resources from this collection by clicking on the images.

 

Présentez la comptine le lundi et permettez aux élèves de pratiquer à la réciter toute la semaine. En encourageant les gestes, l'intonation et l'expression, ceci aide beaucoup la fluidité en lecture. 


Les élèves peuvent signer l'affiche lorsqu'ils peuvent réciter la comptine. Je fais un tirage le vendredi et l'élève chanceux amène l'affiche de la comptine à la maison! Quelle motivation :) Ils adorent ceci. 

FYI, most teachers buy one "Comptine" and realize quickly that they just NEED the BUNDLE. Here are some BUNDLE options:

Click on the image below to view the complete collection of 16 resources, each containing an original poem and tons of literacy and even some math activities to help students learn during the whole year! 

Amusez-vous à enseigner par la comptine!

Here is what one teacher said about this resource:
"I hummed a lot about purchasing this product, but it was well worth the money. Very thorough with all the sounds, and as we all know finding engaging French activities and lessons can be tough. All the sounds and fun little comptines to help the students learn are fun, they love them. I catch them repeating them throughout the day. I love the differentiated lessons, very helpful." 

Here is a smaller BUNDLE option.

This BUNDLE has 5 resources for "Les sons simples".

Activités pour les livres Éléphant et Rosie de Mo Willems

Les élèves ADORENT les livres par l'auteur Mo Willems! J'ai donc décidé de créer des activités en français pour travailler la littératie au 1er cycle suite à la lecture de ces beaux livres.

 Cliquez sur les images pour aller voir les activités amusantes pour toute la série "Éléphant et Rosie"! 

 

Un de mes livres favori..."Tu as un oiseau sur la tête!" C'était si amusant de penser à des activités pour accompagner ce livre!! Vos élèves pourront compléter un livre à cachette, faire des inférences, créer des liens avec le livre, compléter un STIAM, utiliser des sacs à fêves pour imaginer qu'ils ont des oiseaux sur la tête, etc. etc.!

La fluidité en lecture!

While teaching students to read in my grade one classroom as well as during my reading recovery sessions, I found that for some students, reading fluency is not something that happened easily. My reading recovery trainer REALLY drilled that "la fluidité en lecture" has to happen EARLY, before students develop bad habits.
Students have to be TAUGHT to read with fluency. It does not happen automatically. You have to take every opportunity to teach fluency in reading!

Here are some suggestions:
1. During shared reading, try not to point to words with your finger. You do not want students to do it once they have "le mot à mot" so you should not do it yourself.

2. During shared reading, once in awhile read "comme un robot" without fluency. Students will quickly tell you that this is NOT the way to read!

3. As soon as students are ready, insist that they remove the finger from the book. "Tu es si bon que tu n'as plus besoin de mettre ton doigt sous les mots maintenant! Regarde-moi. Je lis sans mettre mon doigt. Je "touche" les mots avec mes yeux mais pas avec mon doigt. Ceci t'aide à lire plus vite et à mieux comprendre ce que tu lis! Ceci te permet de lire les groupes de mots ensemble et de lire comme tu parles.

4. Demonstrate by reading one page of the little book and then ask the student to read the next page "C'est ton tour maintenant. Lis les mots ensemble. Lis comme Madame."

5. You can also demonstrate by grouping words on a page as you read.
For example, if the sentence is "Je joue avec mon petit chien brun.", I would say "Je vais lire des petits groupes de mots et tu vas m'aider."   "Je joue"...Maintenant lis les mots ensemble comme moi (Je joue). Ensuite, je lis "petit chien" (L'élève répète les mots ensemble "petit chien")
Ensuite j'ajoute un mot et je lis "mon petit chien" (L'élève répète...). Finalement je dis "Maintenant, nous allons lire les groupes de mots ensemble "Je joue avec...mon petit chien." We want the student to realize that certain words are grouped together when reading. Reading fluency certainly goes hand in hand with reading comprehension. By practicing this often and by congratulating success, this will become more and more automatic!

In order to give the opportunity to practice grouping words together when reading, I created the following resource. It made an ENORMOUS difference with my students. It is all ready to print and use in a variety of ways. Click HERE to view one of 6 documents.

Each resource contains 30 sets of 4 sentences with many sight words. A word or two is added to each sentence, forcing the student to read the "group of words", therefore encouraging fluency in reading. Here is an example:

These can be used as is on a card with 4 sentences or cut up and stapled. Each set of sentences can be attached with a ring and placed in a literacy center.

                                                                  

My students and parents LOVED the interactive notebook idea, which I simply put in their morning message duo-tang regularly. Here is an example:

           Check out the BUNDLE containing 6 resources by clicking HERE

     

 

Give it a try with this FREEBIE

     

 

 L'élevage de papillons en salle de classe!

 

Do you want to keep your students TOTALLY engaged in May-June, while covering tons of learning outcomes in French language arts, math and science? Raising butterflies can be your answer! My grade ones are quick to admit that this is by far the coolest activity we do each spring.

 

Whether you decide to actually order and raise butterflies or simply do a butterfly theme, I have lots of fun NO PREP ideas to go with your theme in this resource. Click on the link below to have a look.

 

 

 

Suggestions pour l'élevage de papillons:

1. Placez la commande chez Boreal.  Cliquez le lien ci-dessous. Cliquez "Shop now for butterfly". Lorsque vous cliquez "Butterfly Care Guide", vous trouvez de l'information utile en anglais ET en français!

 Boreal Science Painted Lady Butterfly Kits

Mon but est de recevoir les larves au milieu mai. Ce tableau vous aidera à placer votre commande.

2. Environ une semaine avant l'arrivée des larves, annoncez la grande nouvelle à vos élèves! Choisissez un coin qui deviendra "le coin papillon". Vous voulez une table sur laquelle vous pourrez placer les contenants avec papillons. Vous pouvez demander aux élèves d'amener de la maison et/ou de faire des décorations pour ce coin. 

 

3. Trouvez des livres pour ajouter à votre coin papillon. Préparez aussi les pages pour le cahier de l'élève. Je prépare un cahier (duo-tang) spécial pour chaque élève. L'élève décore la page couverture et placera tout le "travail" de papillon ici. :)

 

4. L'arrivée des larves! Il faut suivre les directives incluses afin de préparer la nourriture et les petites chenilles dans les fioles. Je vous suggère d'inviter des parents pour vous aider!  

Dès le début, les élèves ajoutent des dessins et/ou des observations écrites dans un carnet d'observation.

 

 

5.  Après 7 à 10 jours, les chenilles commenceront la chrysalidation. Les élèves adorent observer les cocons avec une loupe!

 

6. Après 7 à 10 jours, les papillons sortiront des cocons. 

Rien de plus spécial que le premier papillon! Vos élèves seront engagés dès le début du projet mais vous allez bien voir que le matin lorsqu'ils arrivent et apercoivent  le premier papillon...eh bien cliquez ci-dessous pour les entendre!

 

 

 

 

 

 

L'Écriture au 1er cycle!

L'écriture au 1er cycle!

Comme enseignante de la première année, j'ai toujours été très motivée par le progrès de mes élèves en écriture! Je crois que c'est TRÈS important d'offrir une grande variété d'opportunités pour l'écriture quotidienne!

Voici une ressource qui peut aider les élèves à trouver des idées pour l'écriture créative! 200 idées pour l'écriture créative!

 

Les élèves adorent écrire au sujet des animaux. Imagine si tu trouvais un chat dans ton sac à dos!

Écriture avec banque de mots pour l'hiver:

French Pocket Chart Poems

 French Pocket Chart Poems

 

My grade 1 students LOVE rhyming! I found that I could teach SO much with poems (vocabulary, sight words, predictable sentence structures, phonics, word work, etc.). These pocket chart poems give students the opportunity to have fun rearranging and reading the poem during shared reading, guided reading or word work centers. 

The link below will let you see several poems for different themes:  

 

 

Teaching sight words is made easy with these fun, simple rhymes! Each has a different sight word repeated in the poem. The predictable sentence is perfect for emergent readers and is especially popular in French Immersion classes. There is a single page option for student duo-tang to take home or a larger version with words and images for small or large pocket chart. 

 

 

Try a FREE sample of a fun pocket chart poem by clicking on image below. 

 

 

 

 

 

French Digital Boom Cards to Practice Reading Skills

Students need to see and manipulate sight words and vocabulary in a variety of ways and on different surfaces. As teachers, we must also provide students with a variety of activities to reinforce reading strategies.

These digital BOOM CARDS are perfect to use with whole class on a white board or by individual students on tablets or computers. They are self-correcting and can also be used for evaluation! Click on image below to have a look :)

Students love to move the drag the correct word that goes with the image. 

Parfaite activité pour la lettre initiale! Cliquez sur l'image ci-dessous.